Words of a Living Stone

From a child, I have been drawn to the life of David Livingstone, pioneer missionary explorer to his beloved continent of Africa.  His was the first missionary biography I read, and it fired my zeal to glorify Christ by going into dark places and shining the light of the glorious Gospel to those who need to hear it.  He plunged into the heart of danger, faced impossible hazards, and declared the truth of God his King.  This man went forward in faith, and for 30 years, took on the task of opening interior Africa for the Gospel.  And he could say with Paul, 

"Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." (2 Timothy 4:16)

He stood out in his generation for the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). He did what no one else dared.  And history was not the same for it.  How my heart yearns to have a double portion of that which stirred Mr. Livingstone!   

My wife and I have named our children after missionaries (their middle names) that we have greatly been challenged by and learned much from.  We were excited to name our second child and first boy William Livingstone Samuel, in honour of my hero.  But our little man died in the womb and passed to glory ahead of us.  We held his little body, mourned our loss greatly, and gave him his powerful name before we buried him.  I miss my son every day.  

What would David Livingstone say to this generation?  To answer this question, let's look at what he said in his own time? As it is said of Abel, "he being dead yet speaketh" (Hebrews 11:4).

Young David lived in Scotland.  He spent many hours as a boy working in the mill, and additional hours in school.  But he loved exploring the wilds of his home, in which he would gather plant specimens.  On one of those excursions, David visited an old castle ruins.  Many other sightseers and picnickers had climbed the walls of the ruins to write their names.  David climbed high up in order put his name higher than any others.  Scaling the stone wall, the lad cut in his name with a penknife.  The stones of the castle were treacherous, especially as it began to rain, and the footholds became slippery.  He lost his footing once, and barely kept from falling to his death.  But he finished and climbed back down.  That next Lord's day, David was sitting in church.  The minister was preaching.

 "Why do people write their names on trees, fences, or walls?"  David pictured in his mind the castle wall.  The preacher answered the question.  "We all want to glorify ourselves.  We want a name that is above every name.  We want our name to be higher than all.  Why?  Why?  Why?  Because we want to glorify ourselves."  David's face turned red, and shame filled his heart.  The pastor continued, "The reason for living is to glorify God, not ourselves.  The name of Jesus is high and lifted up.  At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow."  Sitting in the pew, David resolved, "I'll live for Jesus.  I will glorify God, not myself.  Indeed I will."

David spoke and wrote much of this kind of devotion to His God:

"May God so imbue my mind with the spirit of Christianity that in all circumstances I may show my Christian character."

"All that I am I owe to Jesus Christ, revealed to me in His divine Book."

"Do not think me mad.  It is not to make money that I believe a Christian should live.  The noblest thing a man can do is, just humbly to receive, and then go amongst others and give."

"I will place no value on anything I have or may possess except in relation to the kingdom of Christ. If anything will advance the interests of the kingdom, it shall be given or kept, only as by giving or keeping it I shall promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes in time and eternity."

"Be manly Christians, and never do a mean thing."

The following was David's explanation of his calling, and indeed God's call to all Christians concerning the Great Commission: "GO ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature!" (Mark: 16:15)

"'Go!—as a trailblazer, a pathfinder, a pioneer!  Evangelize!  Do the work of a missionary!  And lo, I am with you!—hence you will never be alone and you will have nothing to fear!'  'That is a promise I can rely upon,' said Livingstone, 'for it is the word of a Gentleman of honour.'"

"God had an only Son, and He was a was missionary and a physician."

When in missionary school, David was asked what he would do if everything were to go wrong on the mission field and you were the only one left to carry on  the work.  David swallowed and replied.  "Though everyone else be dead and I myself sick, I would still go on, and if I failed, I would at least die in the field."

"I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward.  I determined never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my purpose."

"I shall open up a path to the interior or perish."

"Does not the King's business require haste?"

"If we wait till we run no risk, the gospel will never be introduced into the interior."

"Without Christ, not one step; with Him, anywhere!"

His own writings and those things reported by others regarding his personal life and ministry in Africa have had powerful influence on my own life.  I desire to live as whole-heartedly as this hero of the Cross.  

It was said that the country around Kolobeng was full of wild beasts.  Standing at the front door of his own house, Livingstone shot a rhinoceros and a buffalo.  He taught the people the value of irrigation and helped them in many ways, but what he enjoyed most, he says, was "to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, for it always warms my own heart and is the great means which God employs for the regeneration of our ruined world."

Whenever he had opportunity, David Livingstone would call for others to join in the mission work, to reach the lost with Christ. 

"If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them.  I want men who will come if there is no road at all."

"I am immortal till my work is accomplished, and although I see few results, future missionaries will see conversions every sermon.  May they not forget the pioneers who worked in the thick gloom with few rays to cheer, except such as flow from faith in the precious promises of God's word."

"Fear God and work hard."

"Sympathy is no substitute for action."

A biographer said of one of Livingstone's journeys: "They had many harrowing adventures, but finally, after journeying for more than six months by canoe, ox-back, and on foot, through forests and flooded rivers, in perils from wild beasts and savage men for 1500 miles of jungles which no white man had ever traversed before, Livingstone and his men came to Loanda on the west coast.  He had suffered thirty-one attacks of intermittent fever, had been assailed by huge swarms of fierce mosquitoes, and was reduced to 'a bag of bones.'  Yet he staggered on.  'Cannot the love of Christ,' he asked, 'carry the missionary where the slave trade carries the trader?'  He was not a missionary part of the time and something else the rest of the time.  He was a missionary all the time, whatever the means he was using, whether healing, teaching, or exploring.  'The end of the geographical feat is only the beginning of the missionary enterprise,' is an oft quoted saying of his.  His ultimate objective was always to honour his Lord.  'I am a missionary, heart and soul,' he insisted. 'God had an only Son and He was a missionary.  I am a poor imitation, but in this service I hope to live and in it I wish to die.'  His soul was mastered by the logic of love.  'God loved a lost world and gave His only Son to be a missionary.  I love a lost world and I am a missionary heart and soul.  In this service I hope to live and in it I wish to die.'"

"If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honour, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"

"For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office.  People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a debt owing to our God, which we can never repay?  Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter?  Away with the word in such a view, and with such a thought!  It is emphatically no sacrifice...Say rather it is a privilege.  Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink, but let this only be for a moment.  All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall hereafter be revealed in, and for, us.  I never made a sacrifice.  Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which HE made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself for us."

Near the end of David's life he wrote:

"Nothing earthly will make me give up my work in despair.  I encourage myself in the Lord, my God, and go forward.  I'll not swerve one hair's breadth from my work while life is spared."

David abhorred slavery and fought to see the slave trade abolished.  He stood against the evil of his day.  On his tombstone is inscribed:

"May Heaven's richest blessings come down on every one, American, English, or Turk, who will help to heal this open sore of the world."

A brief telling of the life and ministry of this hero of the faith can be read on the link below.
http://www.gfamissions.org/missionary-biographies/livingstone-david-1813-1873.html

May we go and preach the Gospel, and do the hard ministry in this society, even if no one else is doing it.  There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.

The Assembling of the Local Body - The Christian Needs It!

Sometime ago, a person contacted me with a few questions.  This blogpost covers one of them.  He claimed to be a Christian, yet felt no reason to belong to a local church.  He basically asked why it was necessary, since he was already saved.  I responded as I often do, starting with the words, "There are three reasons...", and the following is a brief summary of those reasons:

1. God tells us to assemble together (Hebrews 10:25).  Shouldn't it be enough that He commands us to?  Maybe you don't feel like it, or perhaps you don't really like people.  Why should any activity be based on how you feel?  You should choose whether or not to do something on the basis of what God says, period.  "Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way" (Psalm 119:128).  God can give you love for others.  If He loved you enough to die in your place, shouldn't you be grateful enough to share His love with others (I John 4:11,19)? 

2. It was a part of the early church which has set an example for us (Acts 2:42-47).  We are also to be a good example to other believers (I Timothy 4:12).  How can you effectually pray for the church for instance (Ephesians 6:18), if you don't take the time to fellowship with them so you know their needs?  Some of the things that a local body of believers can do for each other, is "...warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men" (I Thessalonians 5:14). 

3. We need the fellowship to keep us keen for the Lord (Proverbs 17:27).  It is good for us to serve together (Ecclesiastes 2:9-12).  God likens us to members of a body.  To function properly, we need to be cooperating.  A hand or a toe can do little on its own, but a whole body can do great things (Romans 12:12-27).  We are also likened to soldiers (II Timothy 2:3). When the army assembles for training, orders, or to go out to war, shouldn't every soldier possible be present?

Now I encourage you to go to a local assembly where the Holy Bible is preached, taught, and verily is the Standard for faith and practice.  Read along with the preacher, and make sure "these things are so" (Acts 17:11). 

Kevan Myers
Psalm 119:74

There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.

Learn a Little from Lot

In the Scriptures, we are introduced to a man named Lot.  He was the son of Haran, and therefore the nephew of Abraham.  He is chiefly found in the book of Genesis, though his name is mentioned in several other books as well (examples: Deuteronomy 2:9,19; Psalms 83:8; II Peter 2:6-9).  I will not be attempting an exhaustive work on Lot's life as there are many lessons (quite a lot actually) we can draw from to challenge and warn us in our own lives.  But today I desire to look at Lot as the husband and father.

In Genesis 12 Abram (Abraham) was called of God to sojourn in Canaan, and Lot went with his uncle.  And when Abram went down to Egypt during a famine, Lot did too.

He would have witnessed the unfortunate situation of Abram's lie about Sarai to protect his own life (Genesis 12:10-20).  Afraid that the Egyptians would kill him to have her, Abram told Pharaoh she was his sister (a half truth), opening her up to great danger.  She was taken into Pharaoh's house and Abram was given many presents of sheep, oxen, camels, servants, etc., for her sake.  This gave Abram more wealth, but at a terrible price.  He had lost the wife that was to bare him the promised seed that all the promises of God to him and all the nations of the world were bound up in.  If God hadn't intervened, plagued Pharaoh's house, and exposed this falsehood she would have been gone for sure.

Point 1, from Lot's uncle: NEVER make your wife vulnerable to save your own hide!

This incident was a bad example to the nephew.  Lot should have learned that it was wrong to put others in the way of danger for your own sake.  We are not told what he took away from that event.

Abram returned from Egypt with his wife (thanks to the grace of God), and Lot came too (Genesis 13:1). Both men had their own flocks, herds, and tents.  The land was not enough for them both to dwell together, and Abram kindly and graciously gave Lot first pick of where he'd like to go.

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where...Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan...and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom" (Genesis 13:10-12).

Lot chose out what he believed would be best for his family, and flocks.  He was thinking that surely in this well-watered spot, he would prosper.  The problem was that this was the region of the cities of the plain, in the vicinity of their chief city, Sodom.  The Scripture is very forthright about the character of this city:
"But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly" (Genesis 13:13).  But did Lot take heed of the dangers of the wicked city?  Did he consider his ways and stay away from the place of the wicked (Proverbs 4:14-27)?  He not only moved his home amongst the cities, but pitched his tent toward Sodom.  It seems that this was advantageous, because he may find trade there, and you've got to think of your economic good.  I mean won't that be best for my family in the long run?  It wasn't long before Lot was dwelling right in Sodom (Genesis 14:12).  How slippery is the road into iniquity!  But maybe he could have reasoned thus: "It is just more convenient, for business you know, and my wife loves the shopping!"  He may also have rationalized that this way perhaps he could influence the society for good.

When the four kings of Genesis 14 came and judgment fell on the wicked cities, they were carried away as captives.  Lot and his family were swept along with the rest.  Even a beautiful parrot who chooses to fly with crows will fall into the same snare in the cornfield that the crows fall into.  If Abram hadn't heard and attacked the army of the kings, and rescued the people, Lot and his family would have spent the remainder of their lives in slavery.  And yet even after their deliverance, Lot went back and lived in Sodom.  Oh, that he would have "forsake[n] the foolish and live[d]" (Proverbs 9:6)!

Point 2: NEVER compromise what is right in order to find prosperity.

God has sent two angels to Sodom to see the wickedness of the city before it is destroyed by fire and brimstone (Genesis 19).  Lot rightly brings them into his home and shelters them.  When the vile mob of Sodomites come and threaten to attack and rape the visitors, Lot does right in speaking against it, saying "...do not so wickedly" (Genesis 19:7).  But then he goes on to say, "I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes..." (Genesis 19:8).  God FORBID!  After all this time, being around such evil, his thinking is skewed, and he offers his own daughters to their lust in order to save his guests!  Unthinkable?  It ought to be.  But when someone compromises with wickedness, their understanding can be dimmed.  If not for the intervention of the angels, Lot and his whole household would have been victim to the violence of the men of Sodom.

Point 3: NEVER sacrifice your children for your sake or for others.

I could go on, but you most likely know the rest of the account and when pondering Lot's error continue in discerning danger signs and things to avoid as husbands and fathers.  We as Christians must take warning from all this.

As a father, Lot was indeed a failure.  He went to Sodom, following his own agenda.  He did not consider the detriment it would bring to his wife and children.  He sought prosperity, convenience, and prominence, perhaps even claiming it would benefit his household, but it led to the ruin of his own family.  He may have thought, I can handle it, but failed to think about whether his girls could handle it.  And even when he finally got his family out of Sodom, it was evident that Sodom did not get out of his family.    

Brother, your wife and children are your first priority from God.  They are your FIRST ministry.  It is THAT ministry which qualifies you for other service to our Lord (I Timothy 3:5).  And it is serious (I Timothy 5:8).  God gave your wife and children to you, and you will answer to Him for how you live with, love, labor for, and lead them.

Furthermore, abortion must must be abolished.

JUST Thinking Out Loud

You could call it a defining moment.

I looked up the word "just" in the 1828 Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language.  I learned that...

JUST: an adjective.  It comes from the Latin, justus.  The primary root idea is probably "straight, as adhering to a standard set or erected."  

It can be used to describe that which is 

1. Regular; orderly; due; suitable.

2. Exactly proportioned; proper.

3. Full; complete to the common standard.

4. Full; true; right.

THEN it got really interesting...

5. In a moral sense, upright; honest; having principles of rectitude

Our God is JUST.  That is JUST the way He is.  He says of Himself, "...there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me" (Isaiah 45:21).  He is a JUST God AND a Saviour!

6. Righteous.  The final definition lets us know that to be just means to meet the exact standard of the law of God.  And right in the section, was the following verse, given as an example of the word's usage:

"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (Ecclesiates 7:20).

All people are sinners.  WE are unJUST, and JUSTLY deserve death and HELL.  

You and I are wholly unable to be good enough to escape that judgment, for we are guilty.  We cannot be good enough.  "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20).  We cannot save ourselves.

But God the Son, Jesus Christ came, Whose name is "the Just One" (Acts 7:52).

And He Who is JUST was sent to earth to take the JUST punishment of the unJUST.  The Lord Jesus Christ willingly shed His precious blood when He died on the cross, was buried and came back to life the third day.  Why would He do this?  "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God..." (I Peter 3:18).

And all who turn and trust in Jesus Christ alone as their personal Saviour SHALL be saved, for He is a JUST God and a SAVIOUR.  He is JUST and the JUSTifier!  As it is declared in the Scriptures:
"To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).

WHAT A GIFT!  TO BE JUSTIFIED!

"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24).

"Therefore being justified by grace, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" (Romans 5:9).

Written for the Generation to Come

The Bible tells us that it is good for us to share our testimony, of how we each came to know Jesus as our personal Saviour from sin.  Paul shared his testimony many times to bear witness of the grace of God.  It is a powerful way to declare the truth of Gospel, to encourage our fellow believers, and to give glory to our Redeemer.  It is especially important to pass on the truth of our faith in Jesus Christ to those who are younger, both in age, and in the faith. 

Psalm 145:4 “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.”

Have you ever shared with others (friends, family members, fellow believers, etc.) about how the Lord saved you?  How you came to know you were a sinner?  How you heard the Gospel of what Jesus did for you, giving His precious blood, dying on the cross, and rising again (I Corinthians 15:3-4)?  How you turned to Him and trusted in Him to save you?  No testimony is boring.  Some are saved as children, and others as adults.  Some sinners were saved out of the gutter, and others were churchgoing sinners who were just as mightily saved out of a church pew.  Your salvation testimony is powerful, whether or not you feel it was dramatic.  Please share it.  I’d like to encourage you to do this, so that others can be edified in Christ.  Do your children and/or grandchildren know how you were saved? One of the greatest blessings I possess is knowing how my parents and grandparents came to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 38:19 “The father to the children shall make known thy truth.”

Psalm 78

v. 3 “Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.”

v. 4 “We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.”

v. 5 “For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:”

v. 6 “That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children”

v. 7 “That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:”

One great way to start sharing your testimony is to write it down.  Just write out your thoughts; put it down on paper.  Tell about how old you were, what was going on in your life, what showed you were a sinner in need of forgiveness and salvation, how you heard about what Jesus did for you, and how you came to trust in Him alone for your salvation from the condemnation your deserved because of your sin.  Share a Scripture verse about being saved that is special to you.  Your written testimony could be a paragraph or 5 pages long!  Once you have written out your testimony, you will find that it is easier to verbalize it too.

A testimony that is written down becomes a fast way to witness.  You can make copies and share them with friends, neighbors, family and strangers through e-mail, letters to grandchildren, or even in this year’s Christmas card!  It may be one of the greatest gifts you could give.  What a blessing for everyone you tell, to read how you came to know Jesus Christ!  It may even cause others to consider whether they have believed and turned to Jesus Christ, and be used to draw them to salvation as well!

“This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD” (Psalm 102:18).

I Believe God

Yesterday a year ago, my precious little son William Livingstone Samuel, was born, having already departed this earth.  Today a year ago, I laid his body in the earth.  Each day since, his mother and I have mourned, but not as "others which have no hope" (I Thessalonians 4:13).  "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (II Timothy 1:12).

It is from the Lord through His word that we find comfort.  "This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me" (Psalm 119:50).  

God desires His children to pass on the words of comfort that He gives to us.
"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies,and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (II Corinthians 1:4).  This I wish to do today.

That morning a year ago, fresh in the pain and anguish of the loss of a son, we found great comfort from a good many verses in Isaiah 25 and 26, from our regular reading.  Here are a few of them, with some thoughts.

Isaiah 25
 8 "He will swallow up death in victory; and the LORD God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it."  O Death!  Where is thy sting?  O Grave!  Where is thy victory?  I look forward to the promise that God will wipe the tears away for good (Revelation 21:4)!

 9 "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation."  I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.  Look what my God will do!  My Lord worketh "all things together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose".  My heart should not depend on the ups and downs of circumstances for its rejoicing, but rather, as Jesus instructed, "...but rather rejoice that your names are written in heaven."  No matter my sorrow, my salvation in Christ is secure.  Therefore Job in utter grief could still cry, "The LORD gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the LORD" and "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."

Isaiah 26
 3 "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, who mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."  When upon life's billows we are tempest tossed, let's not be discouraged, thinking all is lost.  Rather than allow our hearts to be washed overboard, should we not instead seek the face of Him Who stilled the winds and the waves?  Should we not join him in the hinder part of the boat and find rest for our souls? 

 4 "Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:"  His strength is EVERLASTING!  I am weak, but His strength is made perfect in my weakness, whereby I can say "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me"  Let the weak say, "I am strong!" 

"I hear the Saviour say, Thy strength indeed is small; 

Child of weakness watch and pray, Find in Me, thine all in all."

16 "LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them."  Many have been the prayers poured out in mourning, many the cries in the night.  God hears the supplication of His saints.  We are told that he keeps our tears in His bottle.  Are they not in His book? 

17 "Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD."  
18 "We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen."  How this describes our situation!  To be with child.  To have the expectation of a little babe to hold and cherish.  To prepare for their coming.  To lose that seed.  To go into the pain of delivery, knowing the baby is gone.  To feel empty, as if all that was brought forth was vanity and wind.  Those who have suffered miscarriage know this pain and loss.

19 "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise.  Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out her dead."  What a emotion fills my soul!  To know that the dead shall rise!  That the grave shall give way to victory, and the earth will cast out her dead! That I shall meet my child in glory.  Because of the Gospel!  Because of the Almighty Redeemer, we have the certainty of victory.  What unspeakable joy!  

This evening, Deana (carrying our third little one in the womb), Tirzah, and I went out and laid flowers on the grave of little William Livingstone Samuel.  We thanked the Lord for William, for the honor of carrying him, even for that short while, and for the assurance that we would see him again.  I read verse 19 again, and as we turned back to the house, I considered the words from the verse, "Awake and sing", and so we sang as we walked home,

"When I can read my title clear to mansions in the skies,

I'll bid farewell to every fear, and wipe my weeping eyes.

And wipe my weeping eyes, and wipe my weeping eyes.

I'll bid farewell to every fear, and wipe my weeping eyes."

  So, in all things I am able to declare, even through tears, Jesus Christ is my Saviour!  He it is which giveth "beauty for ashes" (Isaiah 61:3).  As Paul declared, even in the teeth of the storm Euroclydon, "...I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me". 

Let Not Thy Zeal "Be as When a Standard-Bearer Fainteth"

Some years ago, around the 4th of July, my family and I were stopped at an traffic light in Kansas City, KS.  For those of you who know KCK (or care to know), it was the intersection of State Ave and 78th Street.  Some road work was being done in the area--there were cones about, temporary lines drawn for lanes, and asphalt dust scattered across the road.  As I waited for the green arrow to appear something caught my eye laying on the ground in the middle of the intersection.  There was a small, somewhat dingy cloth, lying crumpled on the pavement

Could it be a rag from construction worker?  Or an article of clothing that fell out of a passing vehicle?

An afternoon breeze moved the rather worn cloth, and I saw some faded color in a striped pattern.  "I think it is an American flag."  "It couldn't be."  She was incredulous, as cars and trucks went whizzing past almost running it over! Wind once again moved the cloth revealing a dirty blue field, with faint stars.  "It IS a flag!"  

I began to unbuckle just as the green arrow lit up, and I had to move our van.  I drove passed, careful not to run over the flag, and pulled into the nearest parking lot.  I leaped from the driver's seat and sprinted down to the corner.  I hesitated only a few seconds, then left the curb.  Into the flow of traffic I ventured, and made it to the end of the median.  There were some exasperated honks from drivers, from those I'm sure were wondering what the crazy pedestrian was doing.  

A big semi truck and trailer made its wide turn, which I avoided, and then dashed out into the intersection and plucked up the old flag.  For yes, it was a flag, which must have been torn from its basing on a motorcycle or other motorist, and left behind unnoticed.  Holding it with both hands, I returned to the curb.  I caught surprised looks from a few drivers, when they realized what I had gone to get, and at least one grandmotherly driver nodded in approval and waved her thanks.  I headed back to the van and my family.

Back in the driver's seat, I considered my prize.  From the flag's condition, it was immediately evident that it had lain in the road, at least all day, unbeknownst to the drivers who passed it by, or overran it with the tread of their tires.  

How sad, to think that this flag of our nation was lying in the dust for hours, while American citizens were oblivious to it!

Yet, how much more tragic is it to realize that our nation itself has sunk into the gutter, becoming corrupted by greed, pride, perversion, and the innocent blood of 55+ million babies, just like those in Israel, who "...shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters...and the land was polluted with blood" (Psalm 106:38).  We have, as a people, turned away from the true God "which hath made and preserved us a nation" (from the Star Spangled Banner, verse 4), and have cast His Law behind our back.

All this pride, perversion, and horrific blood shed, and yet, so many Christians--in so many local churches-- are just "driving by." They are busy about their own agendas, not heeding the cries of the lost!  Their apathy is astounding when we consider that the lost must hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the righteousness of the God of the Bible, in order to be saved.  

Are we not called to be "SALT"?  Are we not to let our "LIGHT so shine"?  Has not the Captain of our Salvation given orders to His people to stand for righteousness and truth in society?  As the hymn declares, are we not to "Work, For the Night is Coming"?  Do we hold God in so light esteem, that we think He will not judge wickedness?  Who are we to think that the United States is exempt from being brought fully to account before His seat?

"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever."  Thomas Jefferson

"Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? 

He that planted the ear, shall he not hear?

He that formed the eye, shall he not see?

He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct?

He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?" (Psalm 94:8-10).

Judah fell into sin, and God did not let her get away with it.  Even Jerusalem, the apple of His eye, was not spared.  When the weeping prophet, Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, wrote Lamentations, he cried, "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?" (Lamentations 1:12).

Christians in America must consider this cry: 

"IS IT NOTHING TO YOU, ALL YE THAT PASS BY?"

Get your Bible out and study what it says about God's dealings with countries.  

"Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34). 

Read the 80th Psalm, and consider the truths it holds concerning God's blessing and judgment on a nation.  Let us cry unto our God to "Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved" (Psalm 80:3 see also 80:7 and 80:19).  

Remember and heed God's voice: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will hear their land" (II Chronicles 7:14).

So I urge you, brethren, let NOT the bowstring of your prayer go slack!  Let not your zeal be as when a standard-bearer fainteth!  "Be not weary in well doing" (II Thessalonians 3:13)!  

Weep for your people.  Repent from your sin.  Pray for God to, "in wrath, remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2).  Stand and speak for the truth and life.  Be attentive to the Spirit's leading.  Stop to stoop down and plead the cause of the poor and needy.  Love your preborn neighbor with a zeal that refuses to be silent and absent in in the day of battle!  As the watchman in Ezekiel, warn the wicked to turn from His way to Jesus Christ. Preach the Gospel to a dying people.

I kept that flag, and have it still today, as a reminder to pray for my country, and of the need for righteous action for the kingdom of God.  I must not allow my zeal to start flagging.  

"Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people (in my case, America), and for the cities of our God (the kingdom of Heaven): and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight" (I Chronicles 19:13).

There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.

Abortion must be abolished.